HOT TO TROT

Richard Knowler catches up with Will Jordan, one of the form outside backs of the first month of Super Rugby Pacific, and discovers more about what he does to relax (pages 38-40 of the current issue).

Those who regularly take a stroll near the Crusaders’ training base in Christchurch may be treated to one of the stranger sights in New Zealand rugby.

Will Jordan, a 13-Test All Black and one of the most talented outside backs in New Zealand, sometimes hoons down the footpath on a skateboard as he makes his way to work in the quiet suburb of St Albans.

“I live not too far away,” explains Jordan. “I have been walking at the moment, but over the last couple of years I have sometimes skateboarded down to Rugby Park. It depends how tired I am in the morning. I guess it is a bit quicker than having to walk.”

For the old-school types, this mode of transport could cause flushes of anxiety. Imagine the headlines if the skateboard unexpectedly took a life of its own, upending the star footy player and causing injury.

Fortunately, the Crusaders aren’t in the business of turning their people into robots. It also pays to remember that coach Scott Robertson, creaky knees and all (a legacy of his days as a loose forward), has been spotted riding around his neighbourhood on a skateboard.

On the rugby field, Jordan raises eyebrows for a different reason. Put simply, he can be lethal. The question is just how much he can improve....

Continue this story in our April 22 issue – on shelves now!